We're Happy Tonight
by chocolatequeen
Summary: The Doctor finds the courage to change his relationship with Rose, with a little help from a Christmas song and some mistletoe. Prequel to Where the Love Light Gleams


The best part of time travel was that no calendar dictated the days to you—not the Gelbronese calendar, or the Jovian calendar, or even the standard Earth calendar Rose had lived by for nineteen years.

So when she'd told the Doctor over breakfast that it felt like Christmas, instead of telling her they'd only had Christmas six months ago, he'd laughed and set the coordinates on the TARDIS.

"The ideal Christmas, Rose Tyler," he'd promised as he threw the lever with a flourish.

And it had lived up to the high billing. The small town they'd landed in was decked out for the holiday. Fairy lights were strung along the store fronts and all sort of rich, spicy, Christmassy scents filled the air. It had even started to snow as they walked along, sipping hot chocolate and eating freshly roasted nuts.

Walking hand in hand with Rose as the sun set over the alien village, the warmth in the Doctor's hearts was more than a match for the winter chill. It had been a magical day—at least, he thought so, and he hoped Rose would agree. Sharing all the holiday traditions with her… It made him want to forget their mismatched lifespans and let her into his life as completely as she'd taken over his hearts.

More than one shopkeeper today had referred to them as a couple, and the Doctor hadn't argued. The adoration he knew showed on his face when he looked at Rose would have made any denials laughable, and then there was Rose's reaction. She'd bitten her lip and looked at him the first time it had happened, and he knew she was expecting him to correct the woman. When he'd simply smiled and said thank you, the hopeful gleam in her eyes had taken his breath away.

Once the sun sank beneath the horizon, the air temperature dropped. The Doctor was just about to suggest they head home when Rose tugged on his hand and pointed at the large Christmas tree on the village green.

"Doctor, what are they doing?" she asked, and he realised people were gathering around the tree. A moment later, they heard singing start, and Rose gasped. "Carolling! Oh, we've got to! I love singing."

In a reverse of what normally happened, an excited Rose pulled a laughing Doctor behind her as they jogged across the park to join in the singing. A woman moving around the outskirts of the group handed them a booklet, and they quickly flipped to the first page just in time to join in with the refrain of "Angels We Have Heard on High."

Rose shivered when the Doctor's tenor voice harmonised with her own alto. He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her waist, and for a moment, she let herself imagine that this illusion of a relationship wouldn't disappear when they returned to the TARDIS.

Because it always did. No matter how close he held her or how tenderly he looked at her when they were exploring new worlds, the moment they returned home, things always returned to the status quo. Just the Doctor and Rose, two best mates travelling together through time and space.

She pushed aside the melancholy thought and focused on the moment instead. Singing had always been her favourite part of the holidays, and she wouldn't let the state of her relationship with the Doctor take that enjoyment from her.

As the first verse to "Here We Come a-Wassailing" began, the carollers walked away on an unspoken cue, carrying the song home with them. Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand as they sang the last words.

"Thanks for today, Doctor," she told him.

His answering smile was soft. "I hope you don't think Christmas is over," he said. "Tomorrow morning, we'll do presents by the tree."

Rose blinked up at him. "What tree?"

"The one the TARDIS put in the library while we were out today," he said, and the matter-of-factness of it made Rose laugh.

"Still," she said a moment later. "This was a brilliant day."

The Doctor hummed in agreement as snow started falling again. His hum immediately switched from just a non-verbal assent to the opening strains of "Winter Wonderland," and Rose joined in on the second verse.

 _Gone away is the blue bird._

 _Here to stay is the new bird._

 _He sings a love song_

 _As we go along_

 _Walking in a winter wonderland._

The Doctor's hearts stuttered a bit as they sang. He'd forgotten this was essentially a Christmas-themed love song, with all the talk about cuddling in front of fireplaces and getting married by snowmen. It was one thing to sing words like that in theory, but oh, how he wanted to sit with Rose in front of the fire and plan their life together.

They turned into the alley where they'd parked the TARDIS, and their voices echoed off the building walls as they finished the song. "Here we are," he said as he pulled out his key. "Home for the holidays."

"And it looks like someone decorated while we were gone," Rose said, pointing at something over his head.

The Doctor looked up and swallowed hard when he realised someone had added a bunch of mistletoe to the lights strung over the alley. He looked at Rose, taking in her pink cheeks and the hopeful light in her eyes, and his decision was made.

"Well, we can't argue with tradition," he told her, giving them both an out in case this was not actually what she wanted.

Rose stepped closer to him. "Of course not," she agreed.

The Doctor's hearts hammered in his chest as he slowly bent down to press his lips to Rose's. Her lips were cool, and he could feel the snowflakes on her eyelashes melting against his face.

Then she sighed and swayed slightly, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close. This was Rose, and he was finally, properly kissing her—not because she was dying, or because she was possessed, or to celebrate not being statues… just a kiss because they were the Doctor and Rose and that's what they did.

She nibbled on his bottom lip, and then her tongue slid into his mouth and he could taste the hot chocolate they'd drank earlier. It was everything he'd hoped their first kiss would be.

But Rose, being human, didn't have respiratory bypass. She pulled back panting after just thirty seconds. "Wow."

"Oh, yes," the Doctor agreed. He bumped his nose against hers, then kissed her again, just a quick peck this time. Rose giggled and the last of his doubts about their relationship melted like the snow in their hair.

He pulled back and beamed down at her. "Rose Tyler," he said as he unlocked the door. "Would you care to conspire with me as we dream by the fire?"

Happiness lit Rose's eyes, and she nodded as they stepped into the TARDIS. "That sounds like the perfect end to the perfect night."


End file.
